December 2015

December 2015

Dear Readers,

It is the Holiday season! Thanksgiving is behind us, and the entire Christian world is getting ready to celebrate Christmas! Join us and celebrate Christmas in the holy land, right where is all started! Also, Check out these six Authentic food spots in Jerusalem and some of the most important sites to visit this month!

Find The best Places to Visit in Israel this Winter!

Christmas in Israel

Where to go to have the best Christmas experience? Should it be Nazareth? Bethlehem? Jerusalem or parhaps Haifa? See what they have to offer...

Israeli food is unique
and varies with its all-over-the-world influences. The different origins of the
people brought different spices, techniques and flavors to the Israeli cuisine.
Jerusalem is one of the biggest culinary centers of the country...

Saint Catherine is the titular saint of the church and friary which the Custody of the Holy Land has in Bethlehem, besides also being the patron saint of the same Catholic parish of Bethlehem.

Highlights of the feast

Bethlehem*, celebration of the feast of St. Catherine

on the 27th - Solemn procession and Entry of the head of the Franciscans to Manger Square, with bands of bagpipes.

On the 28th, a special Mass is celebrated in the Church of St. Catherine. Both celebrations are concluded by the Incensation of the Star and Grotto of the Nativity.

Feast of St. James, Brother of the Lord (O)

As the first leader of the Christian congregation of Jerusalem, Apostle James the Just, brother of Jesus, is the patron saint of the Church of Jerusalem and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Highlights of the feast

Jerusalem, Saint James’s Cathedral near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Greek Patriarchate - In the morning the Orthodox Patriarchate celebrates St. James’s feast day with a solemn Eucharist and a procession from the Saint James Cathedral (”Mar Yaqub”) to the Greek Patriarchate. On this day, round loaves of bread - symbolizing St. James’s blessing - are given to all pilgrims.

Related sites worth visiting:

The Armenian Cathedral in Jerusalem, in the Armenian Quarter, where Saint James is buried.

The feast celebrates the bringing of the relics of Saint George to Lydda and the consecration of the church in his name in the early Byzantine period. The crypt with the saint’s tomb as well as the church above it, is a site of pilgrimage, especially popular among the local Christians during this feast.

Highlights of the feast

Lydda, Saint George’s Basilica -

On the 15th, the eve of the Feast, local Arab Christians congregate at the tomb for a festive gathering, lighting candles and pouring newly pressed olive oil on the tomb. Sheep are slaughtered and cooked on the outskirts of the compound.

On the 16th, a solemn Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the morning by the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The feast celebrates the bringing of the relics of Saint George to Lydda and the consecration of the church in his name in the early Byzantine period. The crypt with the saint’s tomb as well as the church above it, is a site of pilgrimage, especially popular among the local Christians during this feast.

Highlights of the feast

Lydda, Saint George’s Basilica -

On the 15th, the eve of the Feast, local Arab Christians congregate at the tomb for a festive gathering, lighting candles and pouring newly pressed olive oil on the tomb. Sheep are slaughtered and cooked on the outskirts of the compound.

On the 16th, a solemn Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the morning by the Patriarch of Jerusalem.